AOL Deal with ABC Marked By Strong Ties Between Disney and Time Warner
In its latest effort to revive AOL, Time Warner Inc has finalized a deal with Walt Disney Co’s ABC that will allow viewers to watch full-length prime-time shows from the network for free on AOL (see article from The Wall Street Journal). ABC shows will be available beginning from today, along with CBS shows, which are already available on AOL. To determine if any company connections played a role in this deal, IntellectSpace created a Knowledge Map of Walt Disney and Time Warner that exposes some strong connections between the companies.
The first connection we find is through Estee Lauder where Fred Langhammer, a Director at Disney, sits on the board with Richard Parsons, the Chairman/CEO of Time Warner. This significant connection likely played large a role in finalizing this deal.
A second noteworthy connection is shared between Judith Estrin (Director at Disney) and James Barksdale (Director at Time Warner) through FedEx where they both serve as Directors. Disney and Time Warner might have recognized this connection as highly advantageous in facilitating an agreement.
A final tie between the companies worth mentioning exists through Hilton Hotels Corp where Matthew Hart (former SVP and Treasurer at Disney) is currently a Director along with Stephen Bollenbach (Director at Time Warner). Hart likely retains contacts with Disney Executives due to his past leadership position with the company.
These strong connections were almost certainly instrumental in not only sparking interest in a deal between Disney and Time Warner, but also with easing the process of negotiations.
Click here or copy this link into your browser for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map: http://nv.intellectspace.com
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